CTE program advocates for use of Higdon property

While many people, including the Macon County Commissioners, are thinking of how best to use the Higdon property across from Franklin High School on Wayah Street, Macon County Schools’ Career and Technical Education Director Colleen Strickland has been trying to rally support for her “Panther Harvest” idea for expanded CTE programs.

Strickland made presentations to the Board of Education on Monday, April 24, then on Wednesday, April 26, to the Business Advisory Council advocating to use the Higdon property for the programs.

Strickland said after being hired around 18 months ago, she was asked how to expand opportunities for students in Macon County. And the property right across the street from FHS caught her eye.

“Just driving in, I couldn’t help but notice the Higdon property and ask ‘I wonder what is going on with that,’ and then I noticed it was for sale,” Strickland said. “I sent my husband a text and said ‘I would like to buy this house,’ and he said no.”

Strickland said one of the phases of rebuilding FHS would involve relocating agricultural programs, so last year she went to Baldwin and asked about a “land lab” at the Higdon property and purchasing it.

“He didn’t tell me no,” Strickland said, adding that she was given permission to talk to a realtor, who happened to be Tommy Jenkins, along with Jennifer Love.

“And we just walked around, thinking about all the things we could use that property for to enhance the student experience at Franklin High School,” Strickland said. “And Mr. Jenkins asked me if I had any money and I said no. So, I wanted to put it on my little wish list, my little list of good ideas. And then school started and we talked about it…and nothing happened, it was just in our little pocket of good ideas.”

About a month ago, Strickland said she saw the county commissioners were looking at purchasing the property, so she “got in her little pocket of good ideas” and brought forth “Panther Harvest.”

Strickland told the BAC that the Higdon property could support many, if not all the CTE pathways.

In the FHS library Wednesday, the 15-member council heard Strickland’s presentation.

Shields invited local media to the BAC meeting to hear the presentation. Shields has pushed for the CTE program to utilize the Higdon property; two days earlier he asked the school board to pass a resolution requesting that the property be designated for school use.

Board of Commissioners Chair Paul Higdon (no direct relation to the Higdons that own the property) was in attendance for the first half of Wednesday’s council meeting and briefly spoke. He said they are looking at the property closely during this 60-day due diligence period the county has. Higdon says he was unaware of the CTE program or the BAC prior to Shields recently telling him about them.

Higdon said the “Panther Harvest” proposal is “very intriguing” but refused to commit to any use of the property during this due diligence period.

“Now, there’s no strings attached to this [property],” Higdon said. “We’re looking at it from the Board of Commissioners as the highest and best use of this property. Possibly, one of the uses of this property is education, or some other venture. So, we’re not tying ourselves down.”

FHS Principal Mickey Noe offered his support for the CTE program.

“Just looking into the future, it seems like school systems have been trying to pound a square peg into a round hole,” Noe said. “We got to diversify what we do. The regular type of college we’ve been pounding in these kids heads for the last 30 years, those things are changing. CTE, in my opinion, is the wave of the future. We got to prepare our kids for that 21st-century learning, because that 21st-century learning is changing.”

Noe mentioned agriculture, saying currently they don’t have “enough grass for one freaking goat,” and rent farm animals while the Higdon property would offer a lot of grass and a chance to own farm animals.

Much of the meeting was questions and answers about certain CTE programs. Council member Bryson Burt asked why the commissioners are now going after the Higdon property, saying it’s “possibly irresponsible” to buy something with no intended use and wanted to see the property designated for school use.

“I don’t have kids yet, but I want to make sure they’re going to a new high school,” Burt said.

Shields responded that the due diligence period will help determine the use.

Plans for FHS

County Manager Derek Roland said the CTE program is “mind-blowing” and that it’s one example of what could suit the Higdon property, but they need to make certain it’s a good fit.

“I think this is an opportunity, there’s going to be one time where we’re at this particular point in the design phase where we’re just making sure we’re measuring twice and cutting once before moving forward,” Roland said. “I think that’s definitely a question we’ll be answering in this due diligence period.”

As far as the FHS project, Roland said Phase One, which includes the stadium, is currently in development. That phase was approved by commissioners in February. Phase Two would include a new school building followed by demolition of the current structures.

Roland said $2.2 million has been spent so far on LS3P’s services in designing the new FHS and said the commissioners should hear a formal presentation by “the first of the fiscal year,” meaning late June or early July.

Shields affirmed that he’s still for a new FHS and said his first concern when learning about the Higdon property is that it would be a diversion. Some of the questions from the council said community members are concerned about this purchase derailing the FHS project.

“We’re still on course for a new high school,” Shields said.

Baldwin said some of the county commissioners were concerned that, according to LS3P, the current FHS acreage is too small for a school of 1,000 students based on NCDPI standards. FHS currently has just over 1,000 students and sits on about 20 acres.

The state recommends a minimum of 30 acres for a high school plus one acre per 100 students. However, that recommendation also includes the siting of tennis courts, baseball, softball and two practice fields on campus, which the FHS plan does not include. The recommendations state a high school may need an additional 10 acres for a stadium/spectator parking.

Baldwin told the council that incorporating the Frog Town property and the Higdon property can help make up the shortage in acreage.

In terms of building space, the proposed new FHS would exceed the state requirements for building square footage.

“We are approximately 50,000 square feet short currently for the recommended square footage for 1,000 students,” Baldwin said. “The plans that have been developed up to this point have an additional 30,000 square feet beyond what the N.C. Department of Instruction recommends for a 1,200-student high school, and that was based on Franklin High School’s recommendation in terms of programs.”

According to LS3P’s Emily Kite, the NCDPI “recommends a baseline gross square footage of 217,249 square feet for a high school building in North Carolina that serves 1,200 students.”

Kite said, “Through the course of our conversations with the district about the academic, athletic and extra-curricular activities offered at FHS, along with planned expansions in course offerings into the future, the program for the new Franklin High School was increased by approximately 17,000 square feet for a total size of 234,000 square feet. We are working to validate the program and final building size with the district and the many teachers and staff members of Franklin High School. The biggest source of this increased square footage in the program is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Curriculum offerings at Franklin High School. FHS has a robust CTE program with many course offerings that exceed the baseline recommendations from NCDPI.”